WATCH: Costly Turnover Against Texas Sums Up Kansas Jayhawks’ Below-Par Season

If a team had 17 wins after 25 games, they would consider it a successful season. But the standards are much higher for the Kansas Jayhawks. They had their eighth loss of the season last night, and it came in a heart-breaking manner.

They were up against the Texas Longhorns, who had already beaten them earlier in the season. So they arrived at the Frank Erwin Center looking for revenge. It was a closely fought game, and the Jayhawks came up clutch to send the game to overtime. The Longhorns maintained the pressure and continued to have an upper hand.

With less than 10 seconds left, the Jayhawks had the ball. They were down 72-74 and had a chance to either equalize or go for a winner. Sophomore forward, Jalen Wilson drove into the paint with the ball, only to fumble and see it slip away from his hands. Along with the ball, the Jayhawks let the game slip away as well, and they ended up losing 72-75.

Kansas Jayhawks Coach not worried about the loss against Texas Longhorns

The Jayhawks already had their eighth loss of the season, when they just had three all-season in 2019-20. But coach Bill Self isn’t worried and believes there has been an overreaction to their loss.

“You’re putting too big of an emphasis on a loss,” Self said. “We played the 14th-ranked team in the country on the road — and obviously it’s going to be a hard game, regardless. We got better, and we should get confidence from that.” 

He insisted that the focus be shifted to their next game, which is their last game of the regular season. They face the Baylor Bears, their toughest game since the opening day game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Jayhawks will be second favorites again and are unlikely to find a win. The Bears boast an 18-0 record which is likely to be extended when the two teams meet on February 27 at the Allen Fieldhouse.

They will finish as the third-best team in the Big 12 conference, well below their expectations. The Jayhawks will hope they can do better in the NCAA tournament and ruin brackets as they aim for an upset.

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